


A Little Bit of Tinsel Magic

by Glayvas



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Christmas, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Sharing a Bed, Sharing a Room
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-09
Updated: 2019-12-09
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:08:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21726541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Glayvas/pseuds/Glayvas
Summary: Arthur Pendragon is finally entrusted with his first writing assignment from his father, Uther Pendragon, editor of The Camelot Times. What's his first assignment? The Tinsel and Turkey festival. Every hotel is booked, but luckily Arthur meets Merlin, who graciously offers to share his room. Arthur soon realizes that Merlin could mean more to him. But will Merlin feel the same?
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 67
Collections: Merlin Holidays 2019





	A Little Bit of Tinsel Magic

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Clea2011](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Clea2011/gifts).



A Little Bit of Tinsel Magic

“Welcome to Tinsel and Turkey weekend!” The hostess beamed at Arthur. Arthur did not beam back. Instead, he merely grunted, pushing his credit card at the hostess as her smile faltered.

“Room for one, please.”

“Oh sir. I’m so sorry. We just booked our last room to that gentleman over there.” She waved vaguely over Arthur’s shoulder. 

“You don’t have any rooms?” Arthur asked, incredulously. Being stuck in this awful town for one day was bad enough, but now he had no place to sleep? He groaned, throwing his head back. Could this get any worse?

This was his father’s fault. It was at his insistence that Arthur came to the Tinsel and Turkey weekend. Uther Pendragon was the senior editor of The Camelot Times, a newspaper that covered politics and business. It was a serious paper with serious subjects. No hint of crossword or a daily cartoon could be found in The Times... which was probably why the newspaper was failing. On the orders of the newspapers owners, Uther was forced to “liven up” the paper by adding fluff pieces like “Holiday Extravaganza Wows Crowd” and “Thanksgiving Parade: Still Relevant?”

Despite having graduated from Columbia with a Master’s in journalism, Arthur still couldn’t get Uther to assign him anything more than copy editing. When Uther had pulled him into his office, he thought he was finally going to get his first writing assignment. Well, he wasn’t wrong there. Enter the hellhole that was Tinsel and Turkey weekend. 

“You can share my room!” A face popped before him.

“Ahhh!” 

“Sorry, mate. Didn’t mean to scare you there.” 

Arthur could still feel his heart hammering. “What?” He said, disorientated. 

“You can share my room! I overheard you at the lobby desk. I have a couch in my room you can crash on. I wouldn’t want anyone to miss Turkey and Tinsel weekend.” 

Arthur looked at the man before him. Thin as a beanpole with a mass of shaggy, dark hair. His eyes were a dark blue, deeper than his own, like cobalt sea glass. Add his thick lashes in, and Arthur quickly forgot he was staring. 

“Ummm… mate?” He looked concerned, and like he was starting to regret offering his room.

Arthur shook his head, slightly embarrassed. “I guess I don’t really have a choice, do I? This was the last hotel in town.” He held out his hand, “I’m Arthur.”

“Merlin.” 

Arthur tried not to laugh, he really did, but Merlin? Really? Merlin seemed to notice, because sheepishly, he shrugged his shoulders. 

Feeling bad, Arthur said, “Thank you, Merlin. That’s very kind of you.” Frankly, it was so kind that it boggled Arthur’s mind. Did people like this actually exist anymore? What was in it for him? If his father had taught him anything, it was that people always had their own end game. 

“No worries. I’ll show you the room.” 

Merlin led Arthur out of the lobby and around the ridiculous blow up turkey wrapped in a tinsel scarf. 

“So, you’re covering the festival?” He noticed Merlin side-eye his press badge.

“Yep. Here just until the turkey feast tomorrow evening, and then I’m out of here.” 

“I think you’ll really like it. My friend Gwen and I come every year,” Merlin was talking rapidly now. 

“Last year, Gwen was named Queen Tinsel, herself. One day I hope I might be King Turkey, but honestly that probably won’t happen. And even if it did, I’d probably be rubbish and trip on my face during the parade. I tend to do that…” Merlin mumbled and went quiet, obviously embarrassed. 

Arthur was amused. To ease his embarrassment, he asked Merlin what his favorite part of the festival was.

Merlin brightened. “Oh Tinsel Night, hands down. Though Gwen likes the carol competition.”

“Tinsel Ni—?”

“—Night, yeah. Oh yeah. It’s brilliant. There’s a pile of tinsel and each person grabs an end. You follow the tinsel until you find the person at the other end, then you dance with that person. Spots are limited, so you better sign up fast.”

Arthur looked at Merlin’s flushed cheeks and wondered why on Earth anyone would want to participate in something like that. 

He must’ve given it away on his face because Merlin quickly added “It’s how I met my best friend, Gwen!” Then, sheepishly, “It really is a fun tradition. It’s based on an old legend. Legend has it that some king met his wife this way. She was a village maiden and, upon seeing each other, they instantly fell in love. They reigned side by side until they died on the same day.”

“Hmm. Sounds a little ridiculous, doesn’t it? I don’t think I’ll sign up myself. Honestly, I can’t wait to get this whole thing over with and get out of here.”

Merlin shrugged and stopped at the door of room. “One can’t predict the magic of Tinsel Night.”

“Right. Well, er, thanks. My paper will, of course, compensate you for the trouble and pay for the room.”

“Oh, it’s okay, really.” Arthur looked again at Merlin. His eyes seemed to burn with an intensity that Arthur had never seen before. He needed to be careful... very careful. This was his first writing assignment, after all, and he wasn’t going to screw it up over this man, however handsome and seemingly sweet he might be.

“Right, I’m going to take a shower and unpack.”

“I’m heading down to dinner with Gwen, if you’d like to join?” He looked almost hopeful. When Arthur politely declined, he thought he saw Merlin’s shoulders sag, just a bit. But that was just his imagination, of course. 

At least, that was what he was going to tell himself. 

**************

Later that night, Arthur tossed and turned on the dingy green couch. He had pretended to be asleep when Merlin came in. 

Earlier in the shower, he kept finding his thoughts turning back to him... as the hot water poured over him, he saw Merlin’s face again and again. The thick lashes, clumped slightly, his eyes, his high cheekbones and the way they flushed when he was excited. The way he seemed to stumble over his words in his excitement, talking rapidly. 

Lying on his back in the dark, he shook his head. No. No, no, no. Absolutely out of the question. 

He could hear Merlin breathing, soft sighs and occasional mumbles. He was a sleeptalker, apparently, and Arthur more than once had to stifle a laugh. That was what woke Arthur up in the first place, once he had really fallen asleep. 

“Why have you got stew in your hair?”  
It was such a preposterous question that Arthur nearly burst out laughing. He shoved his fist in his mouth to stop it, because that wouldn’t be scary at all, waking up to the stranger you let sleep in your room, laughing in the dark. The thought almost made Arthur laugh again. 

“No, you pull the sword out!” What was Merlin dreaming about now? “Arthur, it’s supposed to be you.” 

Arthur’s heart plummeted into his stomach, hearing his name. Was Merlin dreaming of him? Did he make an impression on him, as Merlin had on himself? He couldn’t see how. Arthur had replayed every bit of their brief conversation over and over and realized he sounded like a complete prat. Frustrated from the day’s events, he was ungrateful and surly, and he was sorry for it. He didn’t even have the courage to right his wrongs, and, like a coward, pretended to be asleep when he heard Merlin stumble in. He really was clumsy.

“Arthur, please...” The yearning in his voice gave Arthur goosebumps. He turned towards Merlin, quickly, wanting to hear what came next, when— 

WHAM. The couch frame broke and Arthur hit the floor with an “AHHHHH!”

“AHHHHH!” Merlin yelled, bolting up in bed. The lamp flicked on and Arthur could only imagine the pathetic heap of a mess he looked like, all tangled in his blankets. 

He and Merlin stared at each other. Suddenly, Merlin’s face broke into a wide grin as he asked, “You okay, mate?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Arthur tried to stand up, but slipped on his blankets and came down hard on the floor. 

Merlin’s face popped over the foot of the bed. He looked concerned and Arthur felt his heart melt a little.

“Looks like you’re sleeping with me,” Merlin said. 

Arthur’s heart picked up speed. “What?” 

“Look at the couch.” He followed Merlin’s gaze and found the couch frame broken severely, with bits of jagged metal sticking out.

“You sure that’s okay?” Arthur, despite his earlier reservations, felt a little bubble of hope form in his chest. 

“‘Course. Come on up. You look like a sad baby bird in that nest down there.” Merlin extended his hand and Arthur grabbed it. For such a wiry frame, Merlin was surprisingly strong.

Later, after Merlin had fallen back to sleep, Arthur saw his phone light up in the dark. Though he laid as far away as possible, he could still feel the heat of Merlin’s body radiating toward his. He wished Merlin would inch just a little closer.

He grabbed his phone, peering into the bright light. It was a text message from Uther.

I’ve signed you up for something called Tinsel Night. Add it into your piece. Don’t disappoint me. 

Arthur sighed. Guess he was participating after all. 

He wondered at the odds of getting Merlin on the other end of his. Maybe, just maybe, this wouldn’t be so bad after all. 

****************

Arthur was determined to make up for his surly behavior. He had made the bed while Merlin was in the shower and asked Merlin to breakfast. 

Now, over the dregs of their coffee and last bits of toast, Merlin told him about last year’s Tinsel Night, waving his hand around in huge, clumsy gestures. Arthur laughed as Merlin explained his Tinsel partner for last year’s dance: a very angry woman of 92 with a sharply hooked nose and a severe bun, who kept stepping on Merlin’s feet. He swore it was on purpose. 

“Yeah, er, it looks like I’m doing that Tinsel thing after all. My editor signed me up for it,” Arthur mumbled.

“You might like it! Hopefully, I’ll get a better partner this year.” Merlin grinned at Arthur and Arthur noticed a faint pink tinge to his cheeks. Was he thinking of him, or did he have someone else in mind? He mentally shook himself. Of course he had someone else in mind. 

They spent the rest of the afternoon together, and by the end of it, one thing was for certain — Arthur was falling for Merlin. 

It was like he’d known him all of his life. Everything was more enjoyable with Merlin. From ice skating (Merlin fell down twice; Arthur gallantly rescued him) to ornament making (Merlin’s was a gorgeous replica of the tree in the middle of the town square; Arthur’s was a misshapen lump that was supposed to be a reindeer), things just clicked. Even Gwen was like an old friend. She was bubbly and charming and had just as good a sense of humor as Merlin. 

It was near the end of the ornament class that Arthur felt his heart sinking. The sun dipped below the horizon and Tinsel Night was approaching.

After a brief appearance at the feast after, he would have to leave the festival, and Merlin, behind. Before Merlin, there was a bleakness that he hadn’t known was there. He had a good life. He was comfortable, and he knew exactly what he wanted: a successful career and money enough to have a castle of his own. 

He had always dreamed of him writing at night on some breaking news story. He’d be in his office, next to the fire, churning out pages of writing which his father would love and brag about. But now that seemed small. He could only imagine wandering alone by himself, walking from dark room to dark room. It seemed sad and pathetic. Who cared if he had those things? Who would be there for him to share it with? 

“Arthur?” Merlin said tentatively, interrupting his thoughts.

“Yeah?” Arthur wondered if Merlin was dreading the end of the day, too. 

“Are you looking forward to tonight?” 

Horrostruck, Arthur thought Merlin might be thinking that he was counting down the moments until he could leave. He had been pretty vocal about it last night. 

“No, not at all.”

Merlin’s face fell. “Oh.” He looked up at Arthur. “Only, I guess I just thought you were coming around to the idea of the festival.”

“I am!” Arthur said so loudly that Merlin, and the people next to them, jumped. “Sorry,” he said hastily, “I thought you meant was I looking forward to leaving. I… well… I ended up liking this much more than expected.” He held Merlin’s gaze and Merlin’s ears turned pink.

“Well, you’d better go get ready,” Merlin said. “You have that interview thing with the managers before Tinsel Night starts, right?”

Arthur, disappointed, nodded. He got up and mumbled his goodbye. He told himself he wasn’t going to look back, but he did anyway. Merlin was watching him leave.

*************

Arthur stood on the edge of the patio in a large circle with other contestants. The crowd gathered around them and the giant sparking Christmas tree twinkled in the center. Instead of presents, the tree’s base was surrounded by masses of thick sparkling tinsel of all colors. At the sound of the bell, participants were instructed to run towards the tree and find a tinsel end.

He could see his breath in the cold night air, puffing in front of him like a dragon’s fire. Despite being the son of the famous editor Uther Pendragon, he didn’t like to be put on display. His heart hammered and he could feel the tension of the other contestants and the crowd around him rippling through the air. 

Okay, you can do this. Just get in and get out. 

The chime of the bell blasted over the speakers and the contestants bolted forward. He tried not to look, but he couldn’t help glancing around for Merlin. He hadn’t seen him since the afternoon and he was surprised at just how severe his disappointment was that he couldn’t see him now among the crowd.

In the center, Arthur grabbed a thick gold plait of tinsel. He carefully tugged on it and saw that it went around to the other side of the tree. Slowly, he followed it, grabbing it hand over hand. He was getting close. His stomach tightened. He kept walking. Closer… closer… 

His mouth felt dry and hot. Could it be? Closer… 

His heart thumped in his ears… almost there... God, he hoped it was him.

Please let it be him. 

He rounded the last part of the tree and saw Merlin standing there, holding a deep blue tinsel. His heart crashed into his stomach and he tasted the bitterness of his disappointment.

Their eyes locked. He saw Merlin look at him and then down at Arthur’s hands. He looked back up at Arthur and Arthur could tell in that moment that he wasn’t alone in his disappointment. They stood motionless, staring, and Arthur wasn’t sure how much time had passed before Merlin looked away. Arthur looked down at the ground, covered with bits of fake snow and stray glitter. By the time he looked back up, Merlin was gone.

He seriously considered just leaving his end on the ground. He cursed himself, knowing that this was bound to happen. How could he let himself be so disappointed? Why was he so disappointed? He was just a guy with big ears and a ridiculously goofy smile, and how dare he make Arthur like him so much! He didn’t ask for any of this. All he had wanted was to get a real writing assignment. He finally got one, and what had he done? He got caught up in the ridiculousness of Turkey and Tinsel and got emotionally involved, the exact opposite of what a reporter was supposed to do. 

He started walking, blindly following his tinsel. He was here, he was going to finish this, and he was going to write the best damn article on Tinsel and Turkey ever. His tinsel led him back to the other side of the tree. How long was this damn tinsel? 

A clump of people moved, and Arthur saw Merlin standing there. He was talking fast, waving his arms about to a small woman with frizzy red hair. Arthur watched, as though in slow motion, as the woman smiled, and gave Merlin her deep gold tinsel while taking his blue one. 

He had Arthur’s other end. He wanted to be Arthur’s tinsel partner. He hadn’t imagined anything! Hurrying now, he gripped the rope of tinsel and moved forward. 

He stopped just before Merlin, broke into a wide smile, and held up the end of his. Merlin beamed back and held up his own end. Arthur closed the distance between them, leaned forward, and kissed him. He could feel Merlin’s hands in his hair, returning the kiss just as urgently.

Pulling back, Arthur said, “I’m so glad it was you.” 

Merlin grinned. 

“See, I told you it was magic.”

Arthur laughed. He was going to let Merlin keep his secret. Maybe one day he’d tell him. But for now, he was willing to let the magic of Tinsel Night stand.

ONE YEAR LATER

Arthur grabbed the suitcases out of the trunk and tipped the taxi. Stomping off the bits off the snow from his shoes—it really was bad out there—he made his way to the front desk in the hotel lobby. 

“Hello, sir. Welcome to Tinsel and Turkey weekend! Unfortunately, unless you have a reservation, we’re all booked up.”

“He can share with me!” Arthur heard Merlin yell behind him. 

The woman looked at him, puzzled. Merlin came up and wrapped his arms around him from behind.

Laughing, Arthur said, “Thank you, but we have a reservation. Room for two under Arthur and Merlin Pendragon.”

“Wonderful,” the woman said. “Don’t forget to sign up for Tinsel Night! It’s supposed to be magic, you know.”

Arthur and Merlin grinned at each other. Arthur took the key from the woman. 

“It most definitely is,” he said.


End file.
